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Written question asked by James McMurdock (Independent (affiliation)) on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 July 2026. It was answered by Blair McDougall (Labour) on Thursday, 16 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Business and Trade.

Royal Mail: Lost Property

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment has been made of trends in the number of items of mail reported as lost by Royal Mail in each year since privatisation.

Answer

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to monitor Royal Mail’s compliance with its obligations relating to the secure handling of mail and compliance with the Universal Service Obligation. Ofcom requires Royal Mail, to take steps to minimise the potential for postal packets to be subject to loss, theft, damage and/or interference, and to regularly review, and where necessary update, the relevant policies.

Royal Mail is required to provide compensation to customers on a fair and reasonable basis, where applicable. Ofcom publishes annual reports reviewing the complaints and compensation data. These are available at: www.ofcom.org.uk/post/market-performance/monitoring_reports.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
17288
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Lost property Royal Mail
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk